Atlanta Zoo Pandas

[carly]

They've just completed the first successful swap!  Here is the first photo of them together!!

[MAK]

They've just completed the first successful swap!  Here is the first photo of them together!!

Oh my-so sweet and tiny! 

[Kris G.]

Video of twins birth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yc3EVrwFjs#ws

[Kris G.]

Tuesday, July 16
The panda team is tired and a little stressed, but happy! So far, both cubs are doing well. We are fortunate that both were born a healthy weight and strong. Sometimes one twin is very small. As you all know, Lun Lun is a fantastic mom, and she's even more impressive this time. The cubs are being alternated with her, which is a technique first developed by our colleagues in Chengdu and used successfully for many cubs. Lun Lun is such a good mom, though, that she is reluctant to give up whichever cub she has. So, we have not been able to swap the cubs as frequently as we would like. Because of that, both have been supplemented with some formula. Both are doing well with this. Their condition and Lun Lun's behavior will continue to guide our actions. The next few days are especially critical. So, please continue to keep us in your thoughts. We can use the good vibes!
Rebecca Snyder, PhD,
Curator of Mammals

[carla]

Beautiful video..........Thanks Kris.
I'm happy the cubs are doing fine so far.
Greetings

[Donna]

And going by Chinese tradition, they won't be named until they are 100 days old!

[carly]

Here is the fb status: Drumroll, please ... It's two more boys for Lun Lun! The twins have been confirmed to be her fourth and fifth male offspring

[Kris G.]

Wednesday, July 17

Knowing that many, many people are waiting and watching on live camera, how nerve wracking is it to be the one to confirm that Lun Lun’s water had broken? Oh just slightly.  Luckily this year she made it pretty obvious and I felt very confident when I made that phone call, knowing that it would be the start of a very big night. I just didn’t realize how big! For every birth we prepare exactly the same as we have this year. The protocols get updated, the 24 hours shifts begin, the building’s daily activities get rearranged in preparation for the nursery set up, everything gets disinfected, and most importantly, the nursery gets set up. Zoo Atlanta’s Veterinary and Animal Management teams are always prepared for any scenario that might occur, and Monday evening was the best example of the exceptional preparation and detail that goes into planning a panda birth. We all sat in the control room watching Lun  Lun on the same video feed that many of you were watching. There were cheers all around when we saw the first cub arrive. Then we paused to begin our monitoring of mother and cub when we were as surprised as you! In Zoo Atlanta fashion, we were prepared. Our amazing team jumped into action and had everything we needed at our fingertips, thanks to our pre-prepared nursery.

Lun and the cubs are doing very well with the swapping. It is always calm for her and while we try to do it every few hours, it is only done when she provides an opportune moment. We make it positive for her by always giving her sugar cane and offering her water, bamboo, biscuits, and any treat she could want. Her favorite is the sugar cane, she never turns it down! Stay tuned for many more updates, and for more “insider information�, subscribe to our Cub Confidential emails. You won’t be disappointed!
Jenny
Keeper III, Carnivores


Confirmed that the twins are both males!  

[carly]

Two more boys for Lun Lun!
Thursday, July 18, 2013

Giant panda twins born on July 15 have been confirmed to be her fourth and fifth male offspring

The twin cubs born on July 15, 2013, have been confirmed to be two males, continuing an all-male streak for Lun Lun and Yang Yang, who have three previous male offspring.

The twin brothers, who are being rotated between time spent with Lun Lun and care from the Animal Management and Veterinary Teams, appear to be healthy and are doing well with their new regimen. Lun Lun is a protective mother, posing occasional challenges for staff as they attempt to rotate the cubs on a regular schedule. The Animal Management and Veterinary Teams will continue to base their strategy for the cubs’ care on Lun Lun’s behavior and the twins’ health.

The cubs are expected to make their debut sometime this fall. Follow their milestones on PandaCam presented by EarthCam and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+. Panda fans are encouraged to subscribe to exclusive email content via the new Cub Confidential; subscribe on the PandaCam page on zooatlanta.org.

Stay tuned for more updates as the twins continue to grow and develop.

[Kris G.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9QMLYVqzy8#ws

[carly]

Another blog!  I can't get enough of these cubbies 

Panda Updates
Thursday, July 18

The twins are doing great! It is normal for newborns to lose weight after birth. This happens in humans and has been documented in numerous species. It is also true for giant pandas. The initial weight loss is because of fluid loss. Also, colostrum is important for transferring antibodies and immune cells to the newborn, but it is low in calories and fat. It takes a day or two after birth for the mother to start producing milk. It takes newborns a few days to a week or more to regain the weight they lose after birth. The twins lost weight after birth, but they gained weight steadily yesterday and today. That is a great sign that they are healthy and will continue to grow and remain strong. They are nearing their birth weights now. The larger one is 139.1 grams and the smaller one is 97.1 grams. We think they will reach their birth weights tonight or tomorrow. That is quicker than we expected and we are really happy about it. Also, we have not supplemented the cubs with formula since the first day. So, all of the weight gain is because they are nursing really well and thriving on Lun Lun’s milk. We are thrilled with this and we are so lucky that Lun Lun is such an excellent mother.

Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Mammals

[Tokira]

Another blog!  I can't get enough of these cubbies 

Panda Updates
Thursday, July 18
<snip>
Also, we have not supplemented the cubs with formula since the first day. So, all of the weight gain is because they are nursing really well and thriving on Lun Lun’s milk. We are thrilled with this and we are so lucky that Lun Lun is such an excellent mother.

Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Mammals[/i]

REALLY great that these babies are gaining weight without needing supplementation!   

Carol
WV

[Kris G.]

Panda Updates

Friday, July 19
Both cubs continue to do really well. They have both surpassed their birth weights and we are really happy about that. Lun Lun continues to do really well with the cub swaps too. She is spending more time resting near the window we reach through to remove the cub. So, that makes it easier. She is also more interested in the sugar cane we offer her for the cub. Sometimes when she is not near the window, we can call to her and she will move over. But sometimes she is sleeping and it takes longer to get her in position to do the swap. There have been a few times when the cub in the incubator has been really hungry and calling loudly, but Lun Lun is sleeping soundly with the other cub. In those cases, we have sometimes had to reach in and pat her or scratch her to wake her up. She has been remarkably tolerant of all this.

I'm sure this seems strange to many of you, because she is a bear. Shouldn't she be protective of her cubs? I can tell you from observing lots of giant panda mothers at the Chengdu Zoo and Chengdu Research Base during my study of maternal behavior that those mothers also behaved like Lun Lun. I think that the best way for a giant panda mother to protect her cub in the first few weeks is to hold it. She can't risk putting it down to chase away a threat, because the cub might get cold or accidentally stepped on or snatched away by a quick predator. So, the mom holds her cub despite distractions around her. I'm sure some of this tolerance is because these are mothers born in captivity who are used to people. But there are a few cases in which field researchers have been able to approach wild giant panda mothers in their dens. So, I don't think the behavior of captive mothers is extremely different from the behavior of wild mothers.
 
Our colleagues in Chengdu were the first ones to realize that people can take advantage of this behavior and use it to swap twins so that both cubs have a very good chance to survive. Before the swapping technique was first used in 1990 at the Chengdu Zoo, no captive born panda twins survived. One of the cubs always died within a few days.
 
Lun Lun's tolerance will not last. In a few weeks, she will start putting her cubs down and will gradually leave them for longer periods of time to eat. But if she hears a cub call, she will come back in a hurry and she will be aggressive if she thinks her cubs are being threatened. Lucky for us, we will be able to shift her into another den when she leaves a cub and make the swap quickly and quietly while she is away. It's great system and we are really fortunate to have the guidance of our colleagues in Chengdu to know how to do it in just the right way.
Rebecca Snyder, PhD
Curator of Mammals

[Kris G.]

Check out the Twins!

http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d9031a7794b0f73577cc878c5&id=8a51c69bd5&e=e4eff45b1e

[Donna]

Check out the Twins!

http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d9031a7794b0f73577cc878c5&id=8a51c69bd5&e=e4eff45b1e

Oh they are so cute!! Thanks for the link!